“I want to say some things,” Andrew Cruz began. And did he ever. The Chino Valley Unified School District board member spoke at the July 16 meeting for nine minutes straight, making comments that infuriated some parents (the ones who could stay awake).

Cruz decried adoption rights for same-sex couples (“Gender of parents matters for the health and development of children”), downplayed the effect of race in the Charleston shootings (“We’re no longer a racist country, but they still talk about it”), supported the Confederate flag, criticized the state of black families, blamed undocumented immigrants for bringing in infectious diseases, opposed mandatory vaccinations (“This is un-American”) and, why not, talked about having his rainwater tested for chemicals (“Why would heavy metals be in our rainwater?”).

He seemed to wrap up there.

“That’s all I have to say. But I have to say one thing,” continued Cruz, who apparently couldn’t help himself. He yakked for two minutes more about his concerns about a federal education bill to replace No Child Left Behind before finally relinquishing the spotlight.

Based on the video of the meeting posted to YouTube, nobody really reacted to his comments. In their defense, maybe they were busy gulping the room’s remaining oxygen.

In the days since, however, a Facebook group named Concerned Parents and Citizens of CVUSD was created in opposition and as of Tuesday had 364 members. CBS2 aired a story Monday night about Cruz’s “rant” and the group. “He alienated a lot of families with his remarks,” said parent Nicole Gockel, who urged Cruz to step down.

To be fair, Cruz’s beliefs may not deviate much from those of the board majority, which has taken stands against gay marriage and which is made up of members of the same conservative church. And the district is being sued for alleged Christian proselytizing at meetings.

Also, Facebook groups and petitions aren’t the same as recalls. Cruz, elected in 2012, is up for re-election in 2016. He’s currently the board vice president.

He may want to lower his profile for a while — although as a journalist, I hope he keeps talking.

Culture Corner

• Debbie Reynolds (gasp!) is coming to the Lewis Family Playhouse in Rancho Cucamonga on Jan. 16. She’ll present “an evening of music and comedy.” Tickets are $60 to $65, with seniors paying $58. This may be the biggest coup the Playhouse has had in its 10 years. (Unfortunately, the Playhouse schedule booklet praises Reynolds’ “sheer gustiness.” Are they implying she’s long-winded?)

• Speaking of Reynolds, 1952’s “Singin’ in the Rain,” her best-known role, opposite Gene Kelly, is screening at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Ontario library, 215 E. C St. Admission is free.

• The Pomona Concert Band’s summer concerts are in full swing. A Ganesha Park tradition, the band performs each Thursday night at the bandshell, 1575 N. White Ave., at 8 p.m. through Aug. 27. Admission is free.

909 in the News

• A Pomona concert made TMZ when metal singer Danzig enforced his no-cellphones policy at the Glass House by grabbing a fan’s phone mid-song and throwing it. The same fan later tried to climb on Danzig’s tour bus and was put in a headlock by the singer. Ironically, the two incidents were only documented because other fans were recording video on their phones.

• The anti-abortion activist behind the Planned Parenthood sting is David Daleiden, who the New York Times noted in a Page 1 story got a government degree from Claremont McKenna College, where he befriended conservative activist Charles Johnson. (Johnson’s “confrontational posts on Twitter…recently got him banned from the website,” the Times adds.)

Unfair target

Seems like there’s always a Crossroads of the West Gun Show soon after a mass shooting. But that says less about the gun show than it does about the frequency of mass shootings. The next show is Saturday and Sunday at the Ontario Convention Center; the next mass shooting is unscheduled but will probably occur any day now.

Since 1997, David Allen has been taking up valuable newsprint and pixels at the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, where he is a columnist and blogger (insidesocal.com/davidallen). Among his specialties: city council meetings, arts and culture, people, places, local history, dining and a log in a field that resembled the Loch Ness monster. The Illinois native has spent his newspaper career in California, starting in 1987 at the Santa Rosa News-Herald and continuing at the Rohnert Park-Cotati Clarion, Petaluma Argus-Courier and Victor Valley Daily Press. A resident of Claremont who roots for the St. Louis Cardinals and knows far too much about Marvel Comics, the Kinks and Frank Zappa's Inland Valley years, he is the author of two collections of columns: 'Pomona A to Z' and 'Getting Started.'